Asher the Insane

36 - Iadra the Engulfed

In an instant, after putting on the gauntlets he had brought out of the rift, Adran's aura had changed.

No longer was he a frightened little boy but a fighter first class; a man who had been fighting for years, a rugged combatant, but in the end his face betrayed him.

He was still scared, now even more so.

His fighting style was that of a hand-to-hand brawler, with fast and strong but elegant and efficient movements he rushed at me.

There was only one person I could compare these skills to.

Jarant, a very cocky stone-troll, was not only the strongest physical person I had known but also the best hand-to-hand fighter I have ever fought.

A few times I fought him, in a friendly sparring match here and there, with no equipment or skills involved.

Never will I forget that experience.

If we were in a serious fight; where there were no weapons involved; I would have been sure to lose.

Though comparing Adran to him, it was clear that my brother was lacking the refinement of someone who had polished these skills in their lifetime.

At first, I could do nothing, merely dodge, each time by just a hair's breadth.

I could manage, but this sudden turn had surprised me.

But even after getting used to it, there was not much I could do. Every hit that I did pull through was easily deflected by the new armor he had put on.

Without stopping his barrage of swings he, with what felt like almost an unwillingness to do so, activated a few skills.

"[Master of the Unarmed], [Hammer and Tongs], [Asura], [Double Strike], [Strength], [Knuckle Lore], [Strong Strike], [Hidden Dragon], [Pressure Point], [Natural Talent]."

After each cast, it was harder and harder to avoid the strikes that came but thanks to [Avert Rule] I handled it, even if unconsciously.

Where did he get these skills from?

It must have something to do with that annoying woman in the crowd.

I laughed while continuing to dodge and block.

Later I had to thank her.

A thanks for this interesting challenge and a thanks for making my brother a true warrior.

I wanted to bid my time until an opening revealed itself but that was unnecessary.

Just after a minute of his swings, Adran dropped the gauntlets completely and jumped back to where he had first pulled them from a tear.

Then again from one, he pulled out a robe and a thick, dusty tome.

In these moments, I decided to take action.

Using [Mortal Draw] the distance between us shrank in an instant, but in the tiniest moment before my blade connected with him, I was frozen completely, in the striking position.

What has happened? I struggled with all my might, but to no avail.

"YOU MAY BE ASKING WHAT'S HAPPENED. WELL, THIS FIGHT JUST TURNED BASED, BABY!" She answered as if we should have known what that would mean, "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. THIS IS GONNA BE OVER SOON. I DON'T WANT TO TURN THIS INTO A REAL TOURNAMENT ARC. SO THIS IS GONNA BE THE LAST CHAPTER, MAYBE, IN THIS PLACE. NOT SO SURE BUT WE GOTTA END IT WITH A BANG! HERE ARE THE RULES, OPEN UP YOUR MENU, YOU GOT ACTION POINTS."

Even though I could not move my body, I could open my skill menus without any hindrance.

I had exactly fourteen of these so-called 'Action points'.

"THEY SCALE WITH DEX. EVERY SKILL, AUTO-ATTACK, OR MOVEMENT COSTS ONE, I THINK. TO BE HONEST THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I USE THE SKILL AND I DIDN'T READ THE DESCRIPTION THAT THOROUGHLY. ADRAN'S GOT THE HIGHER INITIATIVE SO HE CAN START FIRST."

The first action was taken.

[Color Code: Shocking Pink]

As Adran was directly in front of me, he pulled power from the book to channel his magic.

As he reached out, he touched my hair with his finger and it turned from its black to an eye grading pink.

I could hear Asher laughing hysterically.

He took his second action.

[Silent Cast]

Then a third.

[-----------]

There was tension, but then nothing.

I didn't feel any different, and nothing seemed to have changed. There was no reaction from the crowd, expect for one person.

"WHAT?!" Asher yelled down, "THIS GUY CLEARLY ISN'T A TEN OUTTA TEN. WHY DIDN'T [Handsomefy!] DO ANYTHING?"

I smirked. Was she jealous perhaps?

She was upset, that much was clear.

[Oil Splash]

From the tome Adran held, a thick dark fluid came bursting out and covered the whole of the arena, Adran and I included.

The magical barrier between the battlefield and the audience made sure that nothing touched them.

[Fire Immunity]

[One with the Flame]

A single spark flew, and Adran caught on fire, igniting all surrounding oil.

But even though I was aflame, I felt no pain. It was strange; I had nothing to negate fire damage with.

I wanted to say something but couldn't. This time I could not move my mouth.

Adran cast another spell on me.

[Free Speech]

I could imagine what that skill would do.

Though I could not look up at the woman, I could still yell out to her, "could you explain this 'turn-based' ability more in detail?"

"DAMAGE IS CALCULATED AFTER A TURN HAS ENDED."

She was angry, and I had a feeling that she was the one controlling my brother.

"AND FUCK YOU," she added.

Adran took out another piece of equipment from the tear he stood by, this time a bow.